Transport
for
the
North
says
it
is
disappointed
that
Avanti
West
Coast
has
been
given
a
six
month
extension
to
its
National
Rail
contract,
which
has
been
on Emergency
Recovery
Measures
Agreement
terms
since
2020, in
the
wake
of
controversial
service
cuts.

The
decision
was
announced
by
the
Department
for
Transport
on
Friday
and
it
has
already
been
criticised
by
the
RMT,
which
is
to
stage
two
strikes
of
Avanti
train
managers
in
a
dispute
over
rosters.

TfN
chair
Lord
McLoughlin
said:
‘Our
Members
are
naturally
disappointed,
as
it’s
communities
and
businesses
across
the
North
that
are
being
impacted
by
this
sub-par
level
of
service
that
is
undermining
economic
growth
and
the
well-being
of
many
people
who
haven’t
been
able
to
rely
on
this
service
for
far
too
long
now.

‘Returning
to
having
a
good,
reliable
service
on
the
West
Coast
Main
Line
is
a
pro-growth
policy
that
will
benefit
the
North
of
England’s
economy,
and
as
such
it
should
be
a
priority
as
the
current
level
of
service
is
just
not
acceptable.

’There
now
needs
to
be
a
clear
action
plan
with
transparent
targets
and
consequences
for
the
company
if
they
do
not
meet
them
–
and
TfN
are
ready
and
willing
to
help
provide
oversight
if
called
upon.
What
matters
above
all
else
is
getting
back
to
putting
passengers
first.’

Avanti
has
said
the
changes
were
needed
so
that
its
services
would
become
more
reliable.
Some
of
the
trains
withdrawn
in
August
have
now
been
restored,
with
more
improvements
planned
for
December’s
timetable
change.